Enrichment tips for rabbits

When providing enrichment, it is important to ensure the following:

• · Your rabbits have the choice of approaching or moving away from the object.
• · You rotate enrichment items so that they stay interesting to your rabbits.
• · The environment isn’t overcrowded. Rabbits need to run, jump and stand fully upright.
• · You supervise your rabbits with ANY new enrichment.
• · You monitor the impact that the enrichment has upon your rabbits’ physical and mental wellbeing. If the new item has a negative impact on your rabbits, then it should be removed.

Remember: All animals find different things enriching – they are all individuals.

Hide

Rabbits are ground-dwelling prey animals, so being able to hide under something can help to make them feel safe.

You can provide your rabbits with items such as:

• Cardboard boxes or carry cages without the door
• Tunnels
• Untreated wicket baskets
• Paper bags (remove the handles)
• Plastic PVC pipes

Dig

Digging is natural rabbit behaviour, but it can be a problem if it might enable your rabbits to escape. Providing “digging boxes” or “bunching” materials allows your rabbits the opportunity to dig safely without this risk.

Rabbits can dig or “bunch” (use their mouths and feet to organise materials around themselves) using

• Large pot plants, litter trays and, cardboard boxes filled with dirt, shredder paper or child-friendly sand.
• Towels, blankets or shower mats which your rabbit can rearrange with their feet.

Forage

In the wild, rabbits spend most of their time nibbling on food. However, as companion animals, rabbits can become lazy or overweight because they don’t have to search as hard for food. Encouraging your rabbits to search for their favourite healthy foods can help to keep their mind and body active. Use treats that your rabbits like and always check what foods or plants are safe to feed rabbits before you offer them.

Some ideas on forage enrichment are:

• Trays or containers filled with shredded paper, leaves, grass or unrolled cardboard rolls (e.g. the inside cardboard of toilet rolls). Hide healthy treats among these items for your rabbits to search through.

• Fake tree: Poke favourite fresh foods onto the branches of rabbit-safe trees or bushes.

• Hanging vegetables: Hang vegetables or attach them with pegs or clips around your rabbits’ exercise area.

• Egg carton towers: Hide treats inside egg cartons for your rabbits to chew or throw around.

• Play pens: Allow your rabbits to forage in different areas in the safety of a play pen, but make sure they have places to hide and are safe from predators or danger.

• Scatter feed: Scatter treats around your rabbits’ enclosure for them to find.

Run and move

Rabbits need exercise and plenty of room to hop and move around. Here are some ideas:

• Play pens: Allow exercise time in different areas of your garden within the safety of a play pen, but make sure your rabbits have places to hide and are safe from predators or danger.

• Different textures are interesting for rabbits: For example, tiles, fleecy blankets, mats, newspaper or grass.

• Climbing: Some rabbits like to climb furniture or to higher ground. You could:

• Set up a series of secure boxes that they can climb up.

  - Set up ramps using materials such as straw bales and untreated wooden crates.

  - Add tree stumps they can climb, making sure that these are from non-toxic trees.

  - Use cat scratch towers/platforms for your rabbit to perch on and jump between.

  - Make a house out of wood or cardboard, with holes in the side for lookouts, ramps connecting the floors, and a sundeck on top to view the world.

Climbing

Some rabbits like to climb furniture. If this sounds like your rabbit you could:

1. Set up a series of stabilised boxes they can climb.
2. Set up ramps using materials such as straw bales and untreated wooden crates.
3. Add tree stumps they can climb, making sure these are from non-toxic trees.
4. Use cat scratch towers/platforms for your rabbit to perch on and jump between.
5. Make a house out of wood or cardboard, with holes in the side for lookouts, ramps connecting the floors, and a sundeck on top to view the world.

Different textures are interesting for rabbits.

• Tiles, fleecy blankets or mats, newspaper or grass (or even artificial grass).

Chew and play

Rabbits love chewing and having items to play with. Changing the items or toys regularly will prevent your rabbits from becoming bored with them.

Here are some ideas for toys that rabbits can chew or play with:

• Toilet paper rolls filled with hay
• Telephone directories. Remove the glossy cover. Your rabbit will love tearing out the pages
• Parcels (wrap food items in brown paper)
• Healthy treat balls
• Cardboard boxes or paper bags filled with hay or healthy treats
• Toys to throw around, such as:
  • Plastic flower pots
  • Cat or bird toys (e.g. balls with bells)
  • Solid plastic (not rubber) baby toys (e.g. rattles, key rings)
  • Bottles with pasta shapes inside
  • Small boxes

Social

Rabbits are highly social creatures and they need to be housed with other rabbits. No matter how hard we try, we can’t give our companion rabbits as much company as another rabbit can, but if they have at least one bonded rabbit partner they will never be lonely.

Studies have shown that rabbits value the company of other rabbits as much as they value food. So, if we keep them alone we are starving them emotionally.

It is not suitable to keep rabbits and guinea pigs together.

Rabbits must be desexed in order to be kept in pairs or groups. If your rabbit is not already in a bonded pair (or group) then please don’t try to simply put him/her with another rabbit and expect them to like each other. Pairing up is sometimes a long process but very well worth the patience and persistence. You can read more about how to bond rabbits here.